Tag: travel

Remember that South African girl that went to Israel to find herself. With no plan and a tent on her back. She hiked around the sea of Galilee, slept on either side of the Jordan river. Hiked in the desert.

I hardly remember her.

It feels like a different lifetime.

The adventure, the blisters on my feet, the depression, the laughs, the trees and the smells. It all seems like a lifetime ago.

I was so lost and confused I thought – but I was just me all along. I never lost myself. I just discovered new fragments of myself. I just learned and I suffered and I cried in ways I didn’t imagine possible. Not crying tears, but literally crying in my soul.

But I left all the horrors there.

My last night in the desert – I left all that horror and that pain and fear in the Rhamakesh crater at Mitzpe Ramon. I left it all behind.

Came back to the farm today. Going back home tomorrow and looking forward to it.

Spoke to A on the phone and he said it was so nice to hear my voice again and it was amazing to hear his. His words ‘we’re never going away without each other again, its such a nightmare, I miss you too much’. How adorable – I’m grinning like a fool.

We went to have dinner in the veld this evening and it was roaring – literally!

On our way we passed this guy (photographed above) and his brother – and little did we know that e would meet again…

We started the fire, put out our camping chairs and the gin and tonics were flowing. Its our last night here so we all left the lodge for a little quiet time.

Laughing and chatting – the elephants were drinking at the water merely 15metres away from us and the sun was setting. It was picturesque.

Then there was a roar.

My dad and his friend concluded that the raw was still miles away and we had at least 30 minutes or so until they even near us. So we continued dipping the most fantastic freshly baked bread into olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Laughing and joking about how the lions were close and we might land up just eating the bread in the car. So we put the meat on the fire, lamb chops and chicken kebabs and we pour more drinks.

Then there was a roar.

‘Ok, no, I’m getting into the car – that thing is close’ I said shaking my head and picked up my drink.

‘I’m coming with you’ my mom said hurriedly and followed me while the rest were laughing.

Not a minute later and the other three were in the car with us and the roars got louder and louder. We drove around a little – meat still on the fire – and stumbled across the two male lions that were wandering around, probably a mere kilometre from our dinner.

The lodge is absolutely incredible. It’s own by a family friend – he has been friends with my parents since they were about 20 or so and I therefore have known him my whole life. He’s one of my many dads 🙂

We are welcomed with iced tea and shown to our rooms which are massive. The room is twice the size of my house and the bath is incredible, I could swim laps in it.

And…

There adorable hippos swimming in th river right in front of my room 🙂